The Tanakh Podcast

Why can't the king fall asleep? What is he worrying about? Why does Achashverosh want Mordechai to be paraded around Shushan? Does he suspect Haman? Of what? The tables are beginning to turn!

Esther risks her life, approaching the king uninvited. But what does she request? That the king (and Haman) attend a party! And then another party! What is Esther's plan?

The royal writ has been issued, the letters dispatched, and the Jews are decreed for annihilation. Mordechai appeals to Esther for help, but she refuses. What makes Esther shift from passsive to active, from an object to a subject, from a victim to a heroine?

In Chapter 3 Haman's rivalry with Haman leads to Haman's plot to annihilate the Jews

Who are Mordechai and Esther - Devout or Assimilated Jews?Why is the "beauty contest" of Achashverosh quite possibly the cruelest way to find a wife?And what de we learn from the Bigtan and Teresh story?

Chapter 1 takes places several years before Esther comes to power, and way before the decree against the Jews.Why is the story of Vashti relevant?We offer three central lessons that we can take from ch.1

How does Kohelet end?What is his conclusion?Does he concluded with a soliloquy about death, or a series of statements about guidance and life?

Practice kindness, diversify your investments, invest in life - even if you cannot fully understand it, and enjoy your youth! These are Kohelet's messages - a philosophy of humble pragmatism.

One act of foolishness can sully a sterling reputation.

Death might be the great equalizer, but in the meantime, there are better ways to live and worse ways.